Biology

Chemistry

Mathematics

Physics

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Master of Arts¹ (M.A.)

Master of Science¹ (M.S.)

Master of Philosophy¹ (M.Phil.)

Doctor of Philosophy¹ (Ph.D.)

Undergraduate Program

Admission. Admission requirements for the college are the same as those for the University. The level at which entering students begin course work is determined by their past academic records and results of standardized tests. Mathematics is used in all scientific disciplines, and students intending to major in the college should study as much mathematics in high school as feasible. All departments in the college require calculus as part of their program. Students majoring in the college may not count remedial courses offered through the Division of Continuing Education, or through the Mathematics Department, toward the mathematics requirements of their major department.
Graduation Requirements. Candidates for a B.S. or B.A. degree in a major in the College of Science must satisfy the graduation requirements of the University and complete 122 semester credit hours of approved course work including:
1. The Universitys general education, American institutions, statistical reasoning, and writing requirements.
2. At least 40 semester credit hours in courses numbered 3000 or above.
3. Major requirements specified by one of the departments of the College of Science, typically consisting of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours in the major department and a minimum of 14 hours in allied fields.
The candidate must have a GPA of not less than 2.0 in all University graded course work. Candidates for the B.A. degree must have fourth-semester proficiency in a foreign language. The mathematics courses taken by students in the college as part of their major programs can normally be used to satisfy the mathematics requirement for the B.S. degree.
Preparation for Professional Schools. The College of Science offers many courses commonly required for admission to professional schools.
Undergraduate students planning to enter professional studies are advised to complete science courses required by the relevant professional school. See Medicine, Engineering, and Law elsewhere in this section of the catalog.

Graduate Program
The college offers M.A., M.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics as well as the following other graduate programs.
Ph.D. in Physics with Medical Physics Emphasis. The medical physics program is new, designed to give an appropriate education to physics Ph.D. students desiring to specialize in some branch of medical physics.
This program will provide students with a solid physics background (through core and elective courses) but will still allow enough flexibility for students to perform research in medical and other interdisciplinary areas (through elective courses). The research will normally be supervised jointly by faculty from the Physics Department and from medical departments. The program has recently been initiated, and it is expected to evolve as increasing numbers of students enroll in it.
Areas of current research in medical physics in the Physics Department include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applied to lungs (Professor Ailion), photodynamic therapy using high-speed optics (Professor Vardeny), bio-magnetism using superconducting devices (Professor Symko), and imaging using atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy (Professor C. Williams).
Ph.D. in Chemical Physics. The College of Science offers a program in chemical physics, restricted to candidates for the Ph.D. degree. This program, administered by an executive committee of faculty from the departments of Chemistry and Physics, permits maximum flexibility for students seeking advanced training in areas of interest common to physicists and chemists.
To enter the chemical physics program, students must first gain admission to the doctoral program in either chemistry or physics.
Ph.D. in Biology with Areas of Specialization. These include ecology, evolution, genetics, mathematical biology, neurobiology, physiology, cellular and molecular biology.
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Biological Chemistry. The departments of Biology and Chemistry participate with departments from the colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in  the Molecular Biology Program and the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Biological Chemistry. First-year graduate students share a core curriculum and spend a trial quarter in each of three research laboratories. After the first year, students select a thesis adviser and enter the Ph.D. program of that faculty members department. For more detailed information, see Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biology in the Courses section of this catalog.
Physics M.S. with Instrumentation Emphasis. A special masters degree with emphasis on physical sensors, data collection and analysis, and instrument control. This program is designed for students with a B.S. in a scientific or engineering field who want a broad approach to instrumentation. A special theoretical physics sequence may be included in this program for students whose B.S. was not in physics. Most of the courses have a strong laboratory component. A significant instrumentation project must be completed by students in this program. To meet the needs of individuals who are employed full time, all courses are available in the late afternoon or in the evening. A brochure describing the program is available by contacting the Physics Department office which can also arrange for an in-person discussion of the program.
M.S. for Secondary School Teachers. The College of Science offers a special M.S. option for secondary school teachers of science or mathematics. The program is for career teachers with a bachelor's degree and at least three years of teaching experience. It allows a science or mathematics teacher to acquire an M.S. degree in the candidates science teaching discipline. A special feature of the option is that a teacher may qualify for admission even with prior formal training limited to elementary college courses in science. Under the guidance of a college committee, the candidates knowledge of science or mathematics is advanced as far as practicable within the limits of a 30 to 32 semester credit-hour program. Part of the work may include special seminar courses relating the subject matter studied to classroom teaching.
Inquiries regarding this program should be directed to the Office of the Dean, College of Science.
B.S./B.A. Degree in Medical Biology. University of Utah students admitted to a U.S. medical or dental school before earning a bachelors degree may use credits earned during the first year of professional school toward a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in medical biology. Prior to entering medical or dental school, the candidate must complete a minimum of 102 undergraduate semester credit hours including all predental or premedical course requirements, all general education requirements, all University graduation requirements, and 20 semester hours of upper-division credit. The last undergraduate 30 semester credit hours must be done in residence at the University of Utah. This undergraduate work, plus the successful completion of the first year of the medical or dental school curriculum, meets the requirements for this major. For further information,  interested students should contact the coordinator for preprofessional advising, Room 124 Bldg. 44, 581-5744.
Graduate Certificate in Computational Engineering and Science (CES). A joint Graduate Program in Computational Engineering and Science is offered by the departments of Computer Science (College of Engineering) and Mathematics (College of Science). The certificate documents that the graduate student completed course work and research covering major aspects of CES. To qualify for the certificate, a student's program of study must include a specified set of courses, the thesis project must include significant work in CES, and the student must give a presentation of his or her work. For more information contact the Department of Mathematics or the Computer Science Department.
Utah Genome Science Training Program. Graduate students in the departments of Biology and Mathematics can qualify for the Utah Genome Science Training Program. Tracks include robotics and informatics, mathematical biology, genome biology, and genome informatics. Students in this program can savor cross-disciplinary training in these fields, as well as interaction with the departments of Human Genetics, Oncological Sciences, Computer Science, Bioengineering, and Anthropology. For more information, contact the Department of Mathematics or the Department of Biology.